Vein stabilizer



Nov. 10, 1925.

J. c. SILLIMAN VEIN STABILIZER Filed April 1, 1925 Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN G. SILLIMAN, OF PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA.

VEIN s'rnnimznn.

Application filed. April 1, 1925. ser1a1 No. 19,926.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. SILLIMAN,

a citizen of the United States, and residing at Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, State 5 of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vein Stabilizers, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to vein stabilizers or instruments for the purpose of faeilitating the holding of a vein for the insertion of an intravenous needle for the purpose of making blood tests or injections into the veins.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a novel vein stabilizer which will securely and firmly hold and position a vein for the insertion of a needle.

Another object of the presentinvention consists" in the provision of a simple and convenient vein stabilizer adapted to hold and firmly position a vein and allow a portion of it to protrude for the easy insertion of an intravenous needle.

In'the practice of surgery and medicine it often becomes necessary to insert into a vein a hollow needle either for the purpose of withdrawing blood from the vein or for injecting into it any of the various fluids or solutions used in medicine or surgery.

Up until the time of the present invention.

it has been the usual practice, as evidenced by numerous medical text books, 7 for v the doctor to endeavor to hold the vein which is to be punctured between: two fingers or between a thumb and a finger in order that it may remain stationary so that a needlecan be easily inserted. into it. However this procedure 1s not at all simple and as a resort the needle into the vein properly, often with painful results to the patient. The present invention provides a simple device for properly holding or stabilizing the vein and causing it to project through a slot so that the needle can be properly inserted with ease and facility. It is necessary that the needle be inserted longitudinally of the vein otherwise there is a possibility of it going through the vein and coming out on the other side so that its hollow end will not be elfective to insert a solution in or extract bood from the vein.

In the accompanying drawings and following specification there 1s disclosed by sult a number of false efforts are made to inway of example only, two embodiments of the present invention with the understanding however that various changes may be made in the shape, size, arrangement, proportion and material of the various parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the instrument in use and shown in position on the arm of a patient;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the instrument; and V Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modified form.

Referring to the drawing there is disclosed generally at 10 the vein stabilizer preferably formed of sheet metal such as aluminum, brass or steel, suitably nickel plated, if preferred. The thickness of the metal is about one-sixteenth of an inch. The ii'istrument comprises two portions, the handle 11 and the blade 12 which is bent away from the axis of the handle at an angle of substantially 30, along the line 13, at right angles to the axis 14 of the handle. The overall length of the instrument is about 7 inches. The width of the handle is about 1 inch at its widest part and the width of the blade about 1 inches. The side 15 of the blade is substantially parallel to the axis of the instrument and almost straight, whereas the side 16 widens out from the line 13 and is arcuate in form and the end 17 of the blade is clipped at substantially an angle of 120 to the side 15, as best shown in Figure 1.

The clipped end of the blade is provided with a notch or slot 18 extending clear through the blade and substantially of an inch deep and of an inch wide and having its long axis at right angles to the clipped end! 17 or an angle of about to the axis of the blade. Both the blade and the handle are substantially oval in shape and the instrument may be described as a flat, solid spatula with rounded edges and a smooth finish.

As shown in Figure 3, the instrument may be formed of wire instead of sheet metal in which case a sufiiciently strong and rigid wire 19 will be bent into the form of the outline of the instrument. 7

In use the device is applied as shown in Figure 1. The patientis preferably seated or placed in a reclining position and the arm, ifavein is to be punctured there, is bared'well above the elbow. A. rubber tube or band 20,.the usual rubber band used in this work, or any constrictor in "fact, is

Wrapped about-the upper arm midway between the elbow and the shoulder until,

venous circulation is cut off.v The veins now swell up to certain'degree and inorder to make them swell more, the patient is caused to open and" close the hands 6 or. 8 times, then hold the fist tightly. closed.; This is pressed with the blade flat on the arm'and the notch exactly over the vein to be entered,

which will cause the vein to bulge up through the notch 18, covered by the skinof course and to remainheld absolutely still and immobile as if it-were made of putty.-

This takes placebecause the blood in the vein is cut off above by the constrictor and below the point in which it'is desired to make an entry by the flat portion orblade of the stabilizer at the base of the notch which presses down upon the'slrin and closes the'vein. Tl1erefore-tl1eblood can not move and neither can the vein nove but everything is held steady; The needle s next shown. The test of getting "the needle into the vein and not through it or beside it, lies in the fact that blood will be seen to enter the glass of syringe if theproperentry is made or if a needle alone is used, fora blood test, blood will flow freely from the needle. At this time the constricting band should be ,loosened and the stabilizer blade slipped'out; from under the needle. l

The arrangementand"proportion of the" various parts of the instrument is of extreme importance. 1* or instance, the angle of the notch in the end of the stabilizer is so arrangedthat the'a-Xis of the vein being operated on points to the right hand and right shoulder of the operator in which hand the needle is used. This facilitates the entry of notch is used, the vein is inclined to slip, whereas with a narrower notch many veins are too large :to bulge up into it properly.

" The depth of the notch is quite important in that its walls extend sul'ficiently along the walls of the vein to allow a proper insertion of the needle. A large number of experiments extendingover quite a period of time.

have been necessary to finally bring the instrument to its present perfected form. It will be readily apparent to all those skilled more facility and ease than bythe makeshift means of attempting to hold the vein with two fingers- I y Having thus described the invention what is claimedas new and desired to be secured l by Letters Patent is: V r

1'. A venous stabilizer for use in vein in the art that by the use of this instrument the operation can be performed with much puncture, including a handle and a substan- 1 tially flat blade portion having a notch therein, said blade portion beingjadapted to "be pressed over a distended vein to close one. end thereof with the vein projecting through said notch. g

A venous stabilizer for, use in vein puncture including a handle portion and a .7

rigid spatula-like blade, said blade I being provided at its end with a deepnotchopen at the end remote from the handle whereby brought up and slid over the base of the notch in the blade of the'stabilizer with the right handand can thus easily be introduced into thevein and longitudinally thereof as when said'blade is pressed over a distended vein, the'vein will be closed at one end by the blade andwill balloon'through said .71

notch. V v 3. A vein stabilizerof theclass described including a handle having a blade attached thereto, said blade having its end j remote from the handle cut off at an angle and i provided with a notch at an angleto the axis'ofsaid blade.

, 4.. A vein stabilizer of the class described including a handle, a blade secured thereto at an angle, said blade'having its-distal end cut off at an angle to its axis and provided.

with a relatively long notch with its major I axis at an angle to said blade.

5. A vein stabilizer-of the class described including a substantially fiat'handle, a flat blade extending therefrom at an angle sub stantially thirty degrees from the plane of the blade, said blade and handle having a common axial plane, a distal edge on said blade at an angle of substantially thirty de grees to the axis of the blade, said blade being provided with a notch having its major axis normal to said distal edge.

6. A vein stabilizer of theclass described including a substantially flat handle, a fiat blade extending therefrom at an angle of substantially thirty degrees from the plane of the blade, said blade and handle having a common axial plane, adistal edge on said blade at an angle of substantially thirty de grees to the axis of the blade, said blade being provided with a parallel sided notch having its major axis normal to said distal edge.

7. A vein stabilizer of the class described including a' substantially flat handle, a flat blade extending therefrom at an angle of substantially thirty degrees from the plane of the blade, said blade and handle having a common axial plane, a distal edge on said blade at an angle of substantially thirty degrees to the axis of the blade, said blade being provided with a relatively deep, parallel sided notch having its major axis normal to said distal edge.

8. A vein stabilizer of the class described including a substantially flat handle, a flat blade extending therefrom at an angle of substantially thirty degrees from the plane of the blade, said blade and handle having a common axial plane, a distal edge on said blade at an angle of substantially thirty degrees to the axis of the blade, said blade being provided with a relatively deep, parallel sided and rounded bottom notch having its major axis norinalto said distal edge.

In testlmony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN C. SILLIMAN. 

